The Howlers
by TheedRush
Summary: A continuation of INTERSTELLAR-and a perfect fic for those who ship Cooper x Amelia. For the last few months, Dr. Amelia Brand has been setting up camp on Edmunds' desert planet, carrying out the mission alone. And to make matters worse, terrifying nocturnal creatures prowl the area. Little does Amelia know she's about to be reunited with a familiar face...
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **It's been a LONG time since I've written fanfiction... 10 years, at least... During my high school years, I was a prolific fanfiction author with over 100 stories penned, mostly focusing on Star Wars. I was a dedicated Obidala shipper then. Once I graduated from college, I disabled my account and found myself on other writing endeavers. I never thought I'd return to fanfiction, but then again, I never thought anything would inspire me quite like this. And then this little idea came...

It's good to be back. Enjoy.

**The Howlers  
>Chapter 1<br>by: Theed**

There was no point in reaching for a weapon. Even if NASA had issued firearms or other armaments as part of the _Endurance's_ cargo supplies, Dr. Amelia Brand didn't know the first thing about using them. Even in theory. She'd spent too much time in a lab for that.

But the growing howls outside the camp bunker were making her nervous. The desert planet's indigenous nocturnal beasts liked to prowl shortly after dusk. To hunt. To feed. She had long believed that though formidable and frightening, nature wasn't capable of evil. But after seeing what the creatures had done to Dr. Wolf Edmunds—or, at least what was left of him—she wasn't so sure. If only he'd gotten to the pod before the rockslide had buried it...then maybe he'd still be alive. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw it again: the ripped and mummified flesh, the gnawed and cracked bone, the dried smears and pools of blood... She still had nightmares about it.

And tonight wasn't any different. Brand rose from her sleeping pad and wiped the cold sweat from her brow. Her head pounded. "CASE, what time is it?"

From across the bunker's sleeping quarters, the large black robot stirred. "According to which clock, Dr. Brand?"

She groaned and pinched her temple. "I told you before, always use _this_ planet's time."

"My apologies, Dr. Brand. I just thought you might—"

"I'm not interested in sentiment, CASE," she snapped. "Just give me the time." She closed her eyes and pushed back the ever lingering faces: Miller, Mann, Doyle, Romilly... Even TARS. And then there was her father... and Cooper... and Wolf... All gone. All dead. And most likely all of planet Earth with them. She chewed the inside of her cheek. Yes, there'd been enough sentiment in the last few months to fill a lifetime. And considering Gargantua's time slippage had flung her forward a total of seventy-four years... She buried her heart right alongside Wolf the day she landed here. Carrying out the mission alone would be far easier if she couldn't feel. It wasn't her choice, exactly. But it was necessary.

"It's nearly twenty-four hundred hours."

Almost midnight. Another chilling howl echoed across the desert—this one far closer than the last. She shivered.

"And how long until sunrise?"

"Twelve hours, seven minutes."

Twelve long hours of endless howling. Brand rubbed her eyes, then massaged her throbbing forehead. "CASE, can you check the perimeter? I don't want those things getting inside."

"The last system check indicated the electric shield was fully functional."

Brand grabbed her sweatshirt and clumsily shoved her arms through the sleeves. "Those automated system checks occur only once every hour. Run it again manually. A lot can happen in sixty minutes." She pulled herself to the edge of the sleep pad and fumbled for the medical kit at the corner of her workstation. Hopefully there was still some Excedrin left.

"Roger." CASE's internal process began buzzing and whirring.

Brand unzipped the medical kit and peered at its contents using the dim glow of the overhead night lights. Blindly, she groped through what felt like packets of alcohol wipes, loose gauze strips, and endless Dramamine capsules... But where was the Excedrin? Of course, she could amplify the lighting to see better, but the camp was running on strictly solar power now, and she preferred to not waste the energy—especially during the long nights. There were backup generators, obviously, but she needed those for emergencies only.

After rifling through the medical kit for several more minutes to no avail, Brand determined she was simply out of Excedrin. Great. She'd have to go down to the medical bay for more.

"Dr. Brand," CASE began, "I cannot complete the system check. The controls are unresponsive."

She re-zipped the medical kit and tossed it on the workstation counter. "Solar interference?" she asked. According to Wolf's archived data, this sun emitted regular coronal mass ejections that often disrupted electronic communications—which was partially why the _Endurance_ was unable to pick up his signal before going dark. Of course, that was just one reason.

A menacing chorus of long, low howls whipped around the bunker.

She'd rather not think about the other reason.

"I'm receiving signals from our other electronic systems," CASE said, "so solar interference seems unlikely."

Brand swallowed. "Is it blocked or disconnected?"

"It's possible the other systems are somehow disrupting the perimeter signal," CASE began, "but it's highly improbable. The signal's most likely disconnected."

Another howl resounded, this one followed by several more against the rushing wind. When she first arrived, all the beasts did was howl; night after night, she could hear them in the distance, groaning and baying somewhere in the great stretches of endless red desert. They were like a lonely pack of lurking phantoms, both elusive and unrelenting. But week after week, they began creeping steadily closer to the camp, until one day, she glimpsed the terrifying creatures near the edge of the perimeter: large scaly quadrupeds armed with long, vicious claws and teeth—and that was just what she could make out from the distance. The biologist in her was curious about these alien creatures—howlers, she called them—their anatomy, their habitat, their social behaviors. But then she'd remember Wolf's broken body... Despite her personal vendetta toward the creatures, Brand reasoned her reluctance to study them was due to a lack of resources; she didn't exactly have appropriate protective gear or field equipment. Besides, she couldn't lose focus of her primary mission: to ensure the survival of the human species. And right now, that meant keeping herself alive—and the electric shield was her only guard against them.

She crossed her arms and dug her nails into the thick cotton. "A disconnected signal doesn't necessarily mean the shield's down, right?"

"Correct," CASE said. "It just means we can't communicate with the system controls. There's no reason to believe the shield is deactivated considering the positive readings from the previous checks."

"Yeah, but because of the disconnect, we have no way of confirming it's up and running properly either...and any reconnecting must be done manually." She ran a frustrated hand through her hair. The electric shield's control panel was located _outside_ of the bunker. And with those creatures slinking about... The mere thought of being outside with the beasts nauseated her. Of course, she needn't leave the bunker at all; she could send CASE instead. But if the shield was indeed down and the creatures got to him—the way they had gotten to Wolf—then she'd have to confine herself to the bunker and wait until dawn...and in the meantime hope the beasts wouldn't damage any equipment...or find a way inside. Still, it was a far better risk than waiting until morning to reconnect the signal. "CASE, what's your defense setting?" she asked.

"Defense setting: 100% and fully charged."

"Good, because you're going to fix the signal connection."

"I'm _what_?"

* * *

><p>"CASE, how's it looking so far," Brand asked through the radio transmitter.<p>

"Making my way to the control panel now, Dr. Brand," CASE responded. "I should arrive in two minutes."

She dug her thumb into the bridge of her nose, still fighting the stubborn headache. "Alright, tell me when you're there. And don't dawdle. Between the wind, the dust, and the howlers, I don't want you outside longer than necessary."

"Roger that."

While Brand waited for CASE, she padded down the corridor toward the medical bay, careful not to bump into anything in the darkness. If something happened to CASE, she needed to think and move quickly, and a piercing headache would only slow her down.

Her radio buzzed. "Alright, I'm at the control panel."

She slid open the medical bay door. "And?"

"Some of the wiring's loose. Could be from the strong winds. It'll take a few minutes to reconnect and reboot the system."

Brand searched the cupboards until she found the Excedrin. "Just do it fast, CASE. Restarting the system will take the shields down." She took two tablets, threw them toward the back of her throat, and swallowed.

"Only momentarily."

She grabbed extra Excedrin capsules to replenish her personal medical kit. "I don't care. It only takes a moment for one of those creatures to get in."

"Roger."

And that's when she heard the sharp scraping and groaning of metal. At first, she thought it was coming from the outer shell of the bunker—a rough gust of wind or the structure settling into the desert ground—but as the clanging and clatter grew louder and louder, the flooring rhythmically rumbling and reverberating against her feet...closer and closer...she realized these sounds were coming from inside. Her heart began racing.

Brand abandoned the capsules and turned the volume down on the transmitter. "CASE," she breathed, "how much longer?"

"Approximately ten minutes."

"_Hurry up_," she hissed. "_A howler is inside the bunker with me_."

"Hang tight, Dr. Brand. I'll be there shortly."

"You better." She carefully set down the transmitter and poked and prodded through the cupboards for something—_anything_—she could use as a weapon. The darkness made searching difficult, but she dared not turn up the lights for fear of giving herself away. The closest thing she could find was a bottle of hydrochloric acid and a small, thin suture knife. They would have to do.

Meanwhile, the beast's movements edged closer…the creaking and scraping growing louder.

Brand unscrewed the cap from the hydrochloric acid, then discretely positioned herself along the short partition wall inside the medical bay and waited. A surprise attack was her only advantage in taking down the creature. Her timing and precision had to be perfect. One wrong move, and she'd be dead in seconds—either from the creature or from her own careless handling of the makeshift weapons. Breathing as quietly as possible, she gripped the knife in one hand and the bottle of acid in the other. Her head still pounded, blood thundering in her ears, but she had to stay focused.

The scuffing and clanging grew closer...and closer...and closer...

As soon as the beast's shadowy figure turned the corner and moved into view, she lunged forward, throwing the acid first, then trying to jab the knife blade into an eye. But before she could make contact, the creature dodged the deadly acid, then snatched her wrists, pinching them, twisting them, forcing the knife just out of reach. She struggled against its tight hold, lurching and yanking. Any moment, Brand was sure she'd feel its sharp claws rip across her, or its jagged teeth sink into her. The creature squeezed tighter and tighter until she saw stars. Already, she felt tingling in her fingers. It wouldn't be long before she was completely immobile. Panicked, she began writhing and thrashing violently, throwing her limbs in every direction.

"Brand! Brand, it's me! _It's me! Damn it, Amelia! Stop! Stop it! It's me!_"

And then she froze, the suture knife falling from her stiff fingers and bashing against the metal flooring. She knew that voice, that low, smooth drawl—even when pissed off. But it couldn't be... She had to be dreaming...or perhaps just seeing a ghost.

"That's it, that's it," he said through labored breaths. The shadow's hold on her loosened as she relaxed. "Easy, now. Easy."

She looked up, and in the shallow darkness, fingers shaking, she reached forward and found the curve of a cheek, the brush of unshaven stubble, the ridge of dry, cracked lips. Her vision blurred, and she swallowed hard several times. "Cooper?" she croaked, choking on her own voice.

The shadow nodded. "Yeah. It's me." She could hear the smile in his voice.

Brand began trembling. "Cooper... Oh, _Cooper_." She threw her arms around his neck and started weeping as weeks of buried emotion flooded to the surface—tears she didn't even know she possessed—a deep, guttural wailing that sounded almost inhuman. Was this how Dr. Mann had felt when they'd woken him from his deep cryo-sleeping death?

Cooper leaned in, his arms enfolding her. "It's okay," he whispered, his lips and hot breath brushing against her ear. "It's okay."

"I thought I was alone," she sobbed. "Alone... The last of humanity... Everyone gone... Left... Or dead... So... so _alone_...in the entire universe..." Her uncontrollable tears were embarrassing, but in this moment of unexpected relief, she didn't care.

He gently rocked her, then asked, as if reluctantly, "What about Edmunds?" At the mention of Wolf's name, she crumbled, burrowing her face into Cooper's shoulder and tangling her fingers into the back of his flight suit. She felt his hands in her hair as he rested his head against hers. "Amelia, I'm so, so sorry."

The silence stretched between them, with only her muffled sobs and the grisly desert howling filling her ears. Cooper was back. After all this time... After so many weeks of isolation and desolation... It was all she'd been hoping for—to have somebody, _anybody_, with her. To not have to face life and rebuild humanity alone. In fact, it seemed too good to be true... She suddenly jerked up. "No," she said, backing away, though her clenched fists still clutched his arms. "No, no, no..." She shook her head. "I saw you... The wormhole... It's not possible... You left me... _You left me._" Her legs buckled.

"Yeah, I left you," he said evenly, holding her steady. "But now I'm back. I'm here."

"No," she repeated. "You can't be here. You're at home with your family... With Murph and Tom... During the mission, all you thought about was going home. You wouldn't leave them again...just to come back here... You wouldn't do that. You're just an illusion, a figment of my imagination...the result of too many weeks alone, talking to myself."

"Amelia—"

"Or maybe," she continued, "maybe you never even survived Gargantua at all. Its gravity could've pulled you further in from the tidal horizon, and you'd have been crushed. Or your oxygen could've run out, and you'd have suffocated. You _died_, Cooper... And in that case, I'm still imagining you here."

"Amelia, please—"

"Oh, I'm not finished," she said, chuckling bitterly. "Or..._or_..and this is the really _crazy_ explanation... Say you _did_ die—and I'm _not_ having some insane hallucination right now—that would mean you're a... You're a..."

Cooper shook his head and swept the bangs out of her eyes. "I'm not a ghost, Amelia...not to you, at least," he said, his voice trailing off. "I'm here. I'm real," he whispered. Cooper took her hand and laid it against his face. "I'm real."

The warmth of his cheek and fingers burned her icy hand. "You're real," she repeated.

He gave a slow nod. "I'm real."

Hot tears streamed down her cheeks. "Then why did you come back?"

"Now that," he said, wiping her face with his thumb, "is a story for another time."

Static fizzed and popped over the radio transmitter. She'd almost forgotten. Brand reached over and grabbed the transmitter from the counter, fumbling with the buttons and clearing her throat. "CASE? CASE, are you there?"

Cooper followed her. "He isn't in here with you?"

"No, I sent him out to fix a disconnected signal. CASE? Do you read me? CASE?" She wiped her face in her sleeve.

"Signal?"

"Yeah, for the electric shield guarding the camp..." And then a sudden realization hit her. "Cooper... how did you get past the electric shield? The one guarding the perimeter of the camp?"

"TARS deactivated it."

Her heart pounded. "And did he _reactivate_ it?"

Cooper's silence was all the answer she needed.

"Oh shit..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: ** I am overwhelmed by your support for this story! Thank you so much for reading. It is my hope that I can update with a new chapter at least once a week. I know sometimes stories don't get updated because the author doesn't necessarily know where the story is going...but I do! I have a whole outline written and ready to go. Anyway, thanks for your support. Cheers.

**The Howlers  
><strong>**Chapter ****2  
><strong>**by: Theed**

"CASE? _CASE!_" Brand shouted into the transmitter. Nothing but static crackled over the speaker. She groaned and shoved past Cooper, racing to the bunker's main control center.

Cooper was hot on her heels. "Brand, talk to me! What's going on?"

As Brand hurried down the corridor, she carelessly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Never in her life had she been both so overjoyed and simultaneously so enraged at seeing another human being. "Did you ever stop to think that there's probably a damn good reason why an electric shield is activated?" she spat. She held up the transmitter again, the receiver bumping against her chin as she jogged. "CASE? Damn it, CASE, _answer me!_"

"Hey," Cooper called, "I put TARS in charge of all that. If he didn't reactivate the shield, you can take it up with him." Their feet thudded against the flooring grates as they rounded a few corners. "And by the way," he added wryly, "it's nice to see you too."

As they entered the control center, Brand reached for a wall receptacle covered with colored buttons. She punched in a sequence, and a series of fluorescent lights flickered on. So much for conserving energy. "Well, thanks to his negligence and your stupidity, we both might be dead soon." Then she winced. She hadn't meant for the insult to be so scathing...especially to someone who needn't have returned at all... Someone who'd actually been prepared to sacrifice himself for her sake...so she could press on and live. But the situation was dire, and Cooper needed to realize that.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded. Brand was too engrossed with flicking switches and turning dials to respond. So Cooper abruptly snagged her shoulders and smoothly pushed her against the wall. He pressed both of his hands to the metal paneling on either side of her, forcing Brand to look at him. He leaned in close and held her gaze. "Brand, talk to me. And I want 100% honesty on this one." His voice was low and thick.

She looked him square in the eyes and pointed to one of the bunker's outer walls. "There are _creatures _out there, Cooper!" she bellowed. "Deadly, carnivorous creatures with fangs and claws and who knows what else! Creatures who mauled and fed on Wolf Edmunds until he was nothing but a wasted, desert carcass! Creatures who howl in packs once the sun goes down! Creatures who've been hunting me every night since I arrived!"

Cooper stared at her, his blue eyes intense and piercing. She wasn't sure how to read his hard features, but quite frankly, she didn't care. She swallowed. "And if that shield is down," she continued, lowering her voice, "then there's _nothing_ keeping them out." Cooper considered her for a few moments, then eased back, letting her silently pass back over to the console. Brand quickly busied herself with the controls and activated a low-range optical transmitter. Even though the unit had been badly damaged during the rockslide, she could still get some preliminary feedback on the monitor screen. Despite the poor resolution and grainy transmission waves, maybe she could track CASE's location and scout the creature's whereabouts.

Cooper inserted a loose black earpiece and pressed an orange button on his flight suit. "Hey, TARS? You didn't happen to reactivate the electric shield once I passed through, did you?" He paused, waiting for a response.

Brand pursed her lips. Even if TARS had reactivated the shield, that didn't explain CASE's silence. She switched on the monitor and adjusted the setting for night vision. Then, she slammed her palm against the monitor's hard outer shell for increased reception. While waiting impatiently for the fuzzy monochromatic picture to appear, she dug her thumb into her throbbing forehead, hoping for the Excedrin to kick in soon.

"Mm-hm, copy that," said Cooper, listening in. "Yeah, I found her. Yeah, she's here."

Brand dropped into the uncomfortable command chair and took the control joystick. She maneuvered the camera, slowly sweeping the camp for any signs of movement. She braced herself for what she might find.

"Okay, good. Just... Right, but just hang on a sec." Cooper approached her. "You can calm down because TARS _did_ reactivate it."

Brand shut her eyes and blew a long sigh. Until that moment, she hadn't even realized she was holding her breath. "Thank God," she whispered, then quickly returned to the monitor. The shield might be active _now__—_but it also had been down, and for who knows how long. The beasts could still have gotten in, and with the shield back up, the creatures would be trapped within the camp. Brand didn't even want to think about the kind of damage a large panicked animal could cause. She had to be sure the camp was clear. And she had to find CASE.

Cooper returned to his microphone and earpiece. "And TARS, remember those initial readings you gave me before the descent? Right, the ones from... Yeah, can you read those back to me again?"

Brand pretended not to be annoyed at hearing only half of a conversation. She bit her lip and studied the monitor screen. From the blurry image, she could barely make out the silhouette of her lab, and from the look of it, the module appeared to be intact and undisturbed, despite the few desert vines and runners steadily growing on the sides. She continued sweeping. CASE had to be out there somewhere. She just hoped he wasn't in pieces by the time she found him.

"Alright. You're sure? Okay. No, no, stay there for a bit until I figure this out. Right, I'll let you know." Cooper switched off his communications.

"What was all that about?" Brand asked, her eyes still fixed to the screen.

Cooper slowly knelt down beside her. "Look, Amelia," he began, scratching his chin, "I don't quite know how to say this, so I figure I'll just give it to you straight. I... I didn't see any creatures when I landed here."

She continued peering at the screen, searching the edges of the perimeter. Everything appeared to be in its usual place, but still no CASE. She began making another sweep and paid close attention to the shadows. "Well, they're smart. They hide. It's what makes them such good hunters." She pulled the chair closer to the monitor and kept scanning.

"No, I mean TARS surveyed the planet for life forms when we arrived. That's how we were able to pinpoint your location. He picked up on you...but there's nothing else out there."

Brand shifted her eyes away from the screen and leaned back from the controls. "What are you talking about? Of course there is—"

Cooper shook his head. "You're it, Brand. An entire planet all to yourself. Sure, there're some microbes, primitive plant life, and whatnot. But that's it. There're no animals or nothin' out there, Brand. Just you. Only you."

Her eyes narrowed, and she felt the muscle in her cheek twitch. "Do you think I'm making this up?" she asked. "What you're suggesting is ridiculous. I've been collecting data here for months, and I'm telling you—"

"I think," he began, taking her hand and seeming to choose his words carefully, "you've been living here alone for a long time. Alone. And after a while, your mind can start playing tricks. Especially at night."

She ripped her hand away. "That is such bullshit."

Cooper seemed unaffected by her objections. "Take that howling you've been hearing, for instance." His eyes bore into hers. "Now that wind out there is like those dust storms back home. They make all kinds of sounds, sounds that can make you wonder what else is out there, except there's really nothing there. Just the wind."

Another gust rattled against the bunker, and Brand heard another set of bestial cries in the distance. Her breathing grew heavy. "You're telling me you don't hear them out there? You're telling me those sounds are just the wind? Because I've never heard wind like _that_."

The howling continued, and Cooper stared at her for a long time. "Amelia, I can't even imagine what it's been like for you these past few months—"

"Data doesn't lie, Cooper," she snapped. "And CASE's data indicates there are life forms on this planet. In fact, Edmunds' archived data corroborates. And those life forms killed him."

Cooper squared his jaw. "All I'm saying is TARS—"

"Where is TARS anyway?"

"He's out in the Ranger waiting for me."

Brand jerked up from the console. "Well maybe we should get him and verify his readings against mine. This back-and-forth bickering is getting old."

Cooper rose and gestured to the monitor screen. "You wanna find CASE first?"

Brand ground her teeth. "I can't find him," she admitted. "I swept the camp three times, and either the camera's images are too grainy for me to see him, or he's just not there." She picked up the transmitter. "And he still isn't replying to my calls."

He shrugged. "Then I guess we should go out and take a look."

She shook her head. "It's too dangerous. We should wait until morning. The creatures are nocturnal, so they pose no threat once the sun rises. Besides, the added daylight will make searching easier."

Cooper licked his bottom lip. "Brand, there are no creatures—"

"Then how do you explain CASE?" she shouted, her headache now splitting. "And for that matter, explain Wolf! _You_ didn't see his body, Cooper! _I_ did! _I_ saw what was left of him! And I'm telling you—"

"Amelia—"

She punched the console. "Why don't you believe me?"

"Alright, _you_ stay here," he said. "_I'll_ go out and take a look. I'll let you know what I find when I get back." He exited the control room.

Brand could feel her emotions rising. "I just hope you _do_ come back," she said, following him out to the bunker hatch.

"Well if I don't, _then_ you can say, 'I told you so.'" Cooper put on his gloves and locked them in place.

Brand fought hard to keep the tears back. He was leaving her again, and this time he might not actually come back. To survive everything he'd been through—towering waves, ammonia infused frozen tundra, Dr. Mann's cowardice and insanity, Gargantua...and God knows what else—only to be shredded by brutal animals on a strange world. Images of him flashed before her eyes: his body yanked apart, limbs torn and scattered all throughout the camp, blood and bone and tissue splayed everywhere. She wrapped her arms around her stomach to keep from shaking. "Cooper, please don't go out there."

Cooper looked up at her, and his features softened. "Hey," he said moving toward her, "Relax. I got this. I'm just going to take a quick look. I'll be right back...although honestly, I'm starting to get the feeling you'd rather not have me here at all."

"That's not true," she mumbled. "I never thought I'd see you again. I never thought I'd see anybody again. I'm glad you're here. I just...I just don't want to bury you like I buried Wolf."

"You won't." He lifted his helmet over his head and secured it in place.

Brand pointed to his helmet. "You don't need that here, you know," she said, almost as an afterthought. "The atmosphere is 25% oxygen. Very similar to Earth."

"Well, let's say you're right, and there are creatures out there." Cooper knocked a fist against the visor. "Now I have one more layer of protection. Safety first." He grinned.

Brand forced a smile. "If they _are_ out there, I'm not sure that helmet will be enough."

Cooper squeezed her arm, as if to reassure her. Then he opened the hatch and was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** Surprise! Two chapters in one week. I wasn't expecting to have this one out so soon, but I just started writing, and the words kept flowing. Again, thank you for all the support. Considering I'm writing this in my limited free time, I appreciate all of your encouragement to continue. Also—if there's something specific you'd like to see in this story (interactions, situations, ideas, etc.), feel free to message me with your thoughts! If it doesn't clash with the existing plot, and I can fit it in, I certainly will! Part of writing fanfiction is giving fans those unwritten moments they're so longing for.

Oh, and I was also listening to Hans Zimmer's amazing _Interstellar_ soundtrack while writing this...specifically "Mountains." You'll understand once you start reading. If you want to add a little atmosphere, play that song in the background as you read. You won't be disappointed.

UPDATE: "Coward" is also a good track. Thanks, Theshypen. ;)

**The** **Howlers  
><strong>**Chapter 3  
><strong>**by: Theed**

Brand re-entered to the control center and took hold of the camera's joystick. If Cooper was going to be out there without her, the least she could do was track his steps. He might think she was losing her mind, but Brand knew the howlers were real. They had to be. She'd seen and heard them—and she'd seen what they were capable of. Just because TARS couldn't identify the life forms upon first glance didn't mean they weren't there. Machines made mistakes all the time. All she had to do was show Cooper her compiled data, and he'd see that she was right. Of course, at the present moment, being right mattered less than making sure he stayed alive—even though one invariably affected the other.

Somewhere in the remote desert, another beast groaned and wailed. It sickened her.

She sat in the chair and scooted up to the monitor where she vigilantly watched as Cooper lit a flashlight and slowly made his way around the camp. The wind had picked up, and he did his best trudging through it with each labored motion. His sluggish, unsteady movements only reminded her of how utterly vulnerable and defenseless he was out there. Cooper was a capable man—more capable than she and the rest of their original team members, at least—but he was no match for the large, scaly creatures, especially given the black of night and gusts of wind and dust. If he ended up needing her help, she was utterly unprepared. Should the beasts corner him, all Brand could do was watch. And even then, she knew she wouldn't be able to.

Unless...

Brand snatched her radio transmitter and began tuning the dial. If she could tap into the same frequency Cooper was using, she'd at least be able to communicate with him. She'd even be able to warn him if the camera picked up something he couldn't see. The idea was primitive, but better than resigning to useless observations. "Cooper? Cooper, it's Brand. Do you read me? Over."

Static crackled loudly through the speaker for several minutes. She gingerly turned the dial to a different setting. "Cooper? Do you read me? Over?"

She listened closely. More static fizzed and popped.

Outside, the menacing howls continued, and Brand felt the bunker slightly sway with the blowing wind.

She tried again. Still nothing. "Come on, come on," she muttered.

And then— "Br..d? Brand are...there?"

She jumped. "Cooper? Cooper, it's me. Keep talking."

"I...patched in...frequency settings."

"Cooper, I can hear you, but just barely. Just keep talking. Tell me what you see out there." She turned up the volume and concentrated on the voice underneath the monotonous automated hum.

"...so...dust...wi...he...vy..."

"Damn it." Brand got up from the controls and began pacing the room for a better signal. She continued nudging the dials, adjusting the frequency and gradually increasing the volume. "Keep talking, Cooper," she said. Brand might not be able to help him, but as long as she heard his voice... Yes, as long as she could hear him on the other end... She pressed the transmitter against her ear with one hand and plugged her other ear with trembling fingers. The mechanical buzzing was relentless, but she strained to hear him through the white noise.

Then a sharp, high-pitched squeal blared through the speaker. Brand dropped to the floor and cringed, yanking the transmitter away. Her ears rang and head pounded. The squealing continued for several seconds, then when it ceased, she brought the receiver to her lips. "Cooper? Cooper!"

A low howl echoed from across the desert.

"Cooper!"

"...unbelievable! Just unbelievable, Brand!"

She sighed. Thank God he was still there. "What? What is?" She returned to the console and peered at the monitor. Through the crackling black-and-white image, Brand could see Cooper kneeling somewhere near the lab module, his hands rapidly shuffling toward the ground. What was he doing? What was he looking at? It was impossible to tell with his back facing her, and her imagination feared the worst. Brand took the controls and swiveled the camera against the forceful wind, but no matter what angle she tried, her view was still obstructed. At least she couldn't see any of the beasts. That was something. But just because she couldn't see them didn't mean they weren't there...

They could be there, somewhere, lurking in the shadows.

Hiding.

Waiting.

Brand shivered. "Cooper, what do you see? Talk to me." Based on his position and movements, he was clearly examining something, but the image was too fuzzy to see just what he was doing. With any luck, he'd found CASE...and hopefully he was okay. But from this viewpoint, she couldn't tell. Brand held up the transmitter again. "Cooper? Come on, Cooper." She waited.

A howl.

"Cooper?"

"... Jesus, ... _everywhere!_"

The pit of her stomach dropped. His voice was tense and rattled. What did he see? If he'd indeed found CASE, the situation seemed bleak. But if he found something else...or if something found him... She took the controls and rapidly zoomed in the lens, but the image was grossly hazy. She punched a few buttons to sharpen the picture.

Another howl. This one closer.

"... are you ... this?"

Brand gritted her teeth and nervously drummed her fingers against the chair's armrest. "Hold on," she said, more to herself than to Cooper. Finally, the screen adjusted and the picture cleared. She leaned closer. Cooper appeared to be inspecting the thick tangle of long desert vines native to the area. Brand was more than familiar with the growth; the plant had been sending out shoots and runners all throughout the camp since she'd settled here. Occasionally, she'd even have to rip the creeping overgrowth off of the bunker and lab module. What the hell was Cooper doing concerning himself with a plant when he needed to find CASE and get back to the bunker? "Leave it alone, Cooper," she called over the transmitter. "I can tell you all about that vine when you get back. Don't get distracted."

And another howl.

"I've never...so..."

"Just find CASE," she said impatiently. "Don't waste time."

Cooper dropped the vine and continued on. She followed his movements on the monitor, but the picture began to blur and pixilate again. Brand groaned and pounded her fist against the screen in rapid succession, but the static only worsened. "Come on," she muttered. She hit the monitor again. But no matter how many times she knocked and slapped the screen, the image refuse to clear.

Then the overhead lights started flickering. What was going on? The only time the lights did that was when...

"Oh, no," she breathed.

Her eyes shifted to another monitor. Static zigzagged across it.

"No..."

Brand leapt up from the console, her eyes darting across all of the controls. Black and white lines raced over every screen. Needles twitched and pulsed on every dial. Readouts blinked flashing digits on every display. Her pulse quickened. Such activity could mean only one thing.

"No, no, no, _no!_" Brand bolted out of the control room. "_Cooper!_" she yelled into the transmitter. "Cooper, get back to the bunker, _now! _We're getting hit with a coronal mass ejection! The CME's going to take down most of the electrical equipment, including the shield and the hatch controls! Get back here before you're locked out!"

The CMEs themselves weren't all that dangerous, but they did severely disrupt the electrical equipment. To save the electronics, Brand had to shut everything down, or suffer a massive burnout. It was far more prudent to shut everything off for a few hours than risk irreparable equipment damage. Such deactivation wouldn't harm any of her existing data—or the precious population bomb; she had special non-electrical backup generators specifically for that. But everything else had to be shut off.

The overhead lights continued to strobe as Brand ran down the corridor, gripping the transmitter to her mouth. "Cooper, did you hear me? Get back to the bunker _now!_" He had to get back inside before he was locked out with those creatures. CMEs normally occurred during the day, in which case, deactivating the shield wasn't an issue since the beasts were nocturnal and posed no threat in daylight. Deactivating at night, however, was more dangerous, though less problematic considering _all_ of the electronics were shut down—including the electronic hatch, which was impossible to open without power. Brand would be safe locked inside the bunker. But Cooper...

The howling continued. And the lights flashed.

"_Cooper!_"

Nothing but static blasted from the transmitter speaker. Brand tossed it aside and picked up her pace.

She couldn't leave him out there alone. Not after he'd come all this way. Not after she'd spent so much time in solitude. To finally have him here just to lose him so quickly. His last position was a mere thirty feet from the bunker. All she needed to do was pull him back inside and shut everything down. Brand reached the hatch, and as she opened the metal door, waves of wind and dust blew in from the desert. She shielded her eyes with the length of an arm. Never had the windstorms been this bad before. Debris ruthlessly pelted against her. These conditions reminded her of the deadly dust storms that used to rage from back home. She squinted into the foreboding blackness. If she went out into the windswept camp, Brand wasn't sure if she'd be able to find her way back. "_Cooper!_" she screamed out into the roaring air. "_Cooper!_"

Wind and dirt blasted her. The lights flickered endlessly. And the howling now roared. But Cooper was nowhere to be seen against the dark clouds of dusty night. She closed her eyes and started wheezing.

She had to shut down the power.

"_Cooper!_" she cried.

Dust continued billowing in, and it filled Brand's lungs until she gasped and choked uncontrollably. She breathed into her sleeve.

She had to do it. She had to. As much as it broke her heart, she needed to.

Brand felt her way along the wall, sputtering and coughing up mud as she moved. With shaking fingers, she keyed in the code to close the hatch. The door began steadily rolling into place. In a few moments, it would lock, and Cooper would be at the mercy of the desert with all its beasts and wind and dust. She doubted he'd survive until morning, even if he was exceptionally resourceful. If only he'd listened to her. But in this moment, she didn't care that she was right. Brand sank to her knees and began heaving and howling.

Closing the hatch ensured her survival—and subsequently the survival of the entire human species—but it also meant the death of a man. A good man. A man to whom she felt she owed much. And in turn, a part of her would die with him. For a brief moment, he'd given her reason to hope. His return had given her that. But once the hatch locked, that hope would once again die. Just as it died when Cooper had detached from the _Endurance_ all those months ago. Just as it died when she'd discovered Wolf's battered body. Closing the hatch meant burying herself alive. She watched the sliding hatch as her burial slowly approached consummation.

But before the hatch shut completely, Cooper leapt through the narrowing sliver of opening and pulled himself inside.

Then everything went black.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Well, it hasn't quite been a week...but I don't think any of you will complain. :) Thank you again for all of the reviews. My writing isn't necessarily contingent upon having an audience, but it certainly is encouraging! So thank you. As many of you noted in your reviews, you are dying to see more interactions between Cooper and Amelia. Honestly, I've been holding off and teasing you on purpose. It's all about the anticipation, right? But, you definitely get your wish in this chapter. :) Hopefully, it delivers to your expectations. Believe it or not, I actually prefer writing these quieter, sentimental moments (as compared with action and suspense sequences). Needless to say, this was a really fun chapter to write. Enjoy.

**The Howlers**  
><strong>Chapter 4<strong>  
><strong>by: Theed<strong>

Somewhere in the darkness, Brand heard Cooper unlatch his helmet. "Let's not do that again," he said, sucking in several gasps.

Brand, still heaving, crawled across the floor toward the raspy sound of his voice. Her limbs wobbled and quivered as she felt along the gritty metal until she brushed Cooper's flight suit. In the blackness, she followed the slick, slippery fabric, reaching and searching until she found and grasped his sweaty palm. She lifted his hand and pressed it to her forehead, feeling the heat and solidness of his rough knuckles against her throbbing, damp skin. He was real… He was here… He was safe…

Her body shook.

"God, Amelia." Cooper gripped her hand and rocked himself upward off of the floor. He pulled her into his chest.

"I thought…," she sputtered, smearing snot and saliva into his shoulder. Puffs of stray dust caught in her throat. She coughed. "I thought…"

"Shhh," he said. "Don't think, Amelia. Don't even talk. Just breathe. Just breathe…"

But the gravity of every _almost _kept spinning through her brain before tumbling out into her body. She _almost_ locked him out. He _almost_ died…again. She _almost_ was responsible. She _almost_ would've had to find him out there…_almost _in pieces…and then _almost_ bury him. And the loneliness…the loneliness…the _almost_ loneliness…the empty, choking oppression of that _almost _loneliness.

Somewhere outside, a howler wailed.

_Almost_.

"Breathe, Amelia. _Breathe._"

And then there were the questions, the questions, the endless questions. Did Cooper find CASE? Where was he? What had happened to him? Did Cooper see any howlers? There were howlers out there, after all… Why didn't TARS register them? Come to think of it, what about TARS? Where was he? Was he lost out there…somewhere…hit by the CME? And how the hell was Cooper even here in the first place? Would others come after him? Why would he even come back at all? Who in his right mind would come all the way out here…alone…

Another howl.

_Alone._

"Keep breathing. Just keep breathing."

She felt Cooper's lips in her hair, his hot breath on her skin, his low, easy voice in her ear… But everything was cold. Her teeth chattered. Her brain pounded. Her eyes burned. And there wasn't enough air… Not enough air… Never enough air. Everything swam. Everything fogged. Everything shook. Brand didn't need to have a medical background to know she was going into shock.

"C'mon, Amelia," he murmured. "Stay with me. Breathe. Just breathe..." Cooper calmly drew his arms down the length of her, one hand against her arm, the other against her thigh. He pressed into her, smoothing and stroking her limbs, creating friction. Creating heat. Feeling his fingers through her clothing. Feeling his breast rise and fall. Feeling his heartbeat thud against her cheek. Feeling everything at once and nothing at all continuously. And as he warmed her, her shaking began to lessen, lessen, and lessen. She sank against his soft firmness, melting into the dip of his chest.

"That's it, that's it. Just breathe. I've got you, I've got you. Relax... Relax. Just breathe…"

Cooper held her there until her breaths slowed, deepened, and evened. She swallowed hard several times between controlled and forced inhales. He smelled like dirt and sweat. Like the desert.

"It's okay," he said, squeezing her a little. "You're all right. You're all right."

Brand slowly pushed herself up and eased back on her haunches, her hand lingering against his chest, her body still trembling. He enclosed her hand with his.

"Now, take your time. Just take your time. There's no rush, no hurry," he said.

"I'm good," she croaked. "I'm fine." She hated being like this, especially in front of men, and especially in front of a man like Cooper. Men always accused her of being overly emotional, no matter what the situation. She needed to better compartmentalize her feelings. Be reasonable. Be objective. Be scientific. Cooper had even said so all those months ago when he accused her of putting her heart before her head, her love for Wolf before sound judgment. He couldn't see that, ironically, she'd put both first…and one inevitably accompanied the other. And then on the other hand, women often accused her of feeding into that trite female stereotype—as if somehow displaying emotions made her too feminine…or some false, idealized version of it. Hers was a world in which she was both too much and not enough. Too much heart…not enough head. Didn't they realize that sometimes the most logical decisions were emotional ones? And that the most genuine emotions are often informed by logical reasoning? At times, she wondered if both groups would rather she were a man.

"I'm fine," she repeated, pressing out the uncertainty in her voice. She tried to stand, but stumbled forward. Her eyes felt glassy.

"Woah," Cooper said, catching her. "No, you're _not_ fine."

"I said I'm _fine_," Brand stammered. She tottered trying to push him away. She didn't need him like this… Didn't want to need him like this.

He tightened his grip just enough to keep her from falling. "Amelia, stop fighting me. You're only gonna hurt yourself. It's okay. I've got you. I've got you." The prickle of his stubble scratched against her forehead.

Brand knew he had her. That was the problem. She uneasily relaxed knowing there really wasn't a choice in the matter. She had to rely on him, and she knew he was reliable. She hated that.

"Alright," he said, "alright. Now, how about we get up off this floor?"

She nodded. "Okay."

"Okay. Okay." Cooper repositioned himself, then hooked one arm around her waist while wrapping the other around her shoulders, securing his hand underneath her armpit. Once she was anchored against him, he gingerly rose from the floor, pulling her up along with him. "It's all right," he said. "I've got you. I've got you." She felt the blood drain from her head, and she began to sway as pastel colors bloomed and faded at the edges of her eyesight. He steadied her, and she involuntarily leaned into him. "Jesus, you're still shivering." He rubbed her arms.

"I just need to lay down," she said. "This happens sometimes, here. Pressure differences from Earth, and when it's compounded by stress, I just… I've just got this headache, and my stomach hurts, and—"

"You don't need to explain yourself to me," Cooper whispered. She felt one of his arms leave her, then heard him unsnap a pouch on his suit followed by a soft click. Blinding white shone from a small flashlight. "Just tell me where we're going."

Brand nodded down the corridor toward the sleeping quarters. "That way," she said. "All the way down, then turn left."

"Alright," he said. "Okay." And without warning, he dipped down, knocked his arm behind her knees, and scooped her up off of the floor, shining the flashlight into the darkness.

Brand gasped in surprise. "Cooper, I can _walk_," she protested.

He chuckled. "Sure, you can. And before you know it, you'll be blacked out and back on the floor. Just relax and enjoy the ride for a change."

Brand did neither.

When they arrived at the sleeping quarters, Cooper hit the access panel with his knee, sliding the door open. Brand impatiently shifted in his arms. "You can put me down now. I don't have far to go—"

"Just relax," he said. "What's a few extra feet? You've been taking care of yourself all this time. Let someone else take care of you for once. Besides, you're doing me a favor. It's been a while since I've whisked a girl to the bedroom. Life's all about the simple pleasures." Brand detected a note of playfulness in his voice, and heat unwillingly rose into her cheeks. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

He entered the quarters and brought Brand to the sleeping pad. He carefully drew back the blanket between the tips of his fingers, then set her down.

"Always trying to flirt your way out of trouble," Brand scoffed. She brought up her knees and leaned her forehead against them, willing the pounding to leave.

"Well, it's usually worked for me, until you came along and saw right through it. Now I've got to figure out some new strategy." He angled the flashlight toward the wall, the white light bouncing off of the uniform blues and greys. Cooper reached over her, grabbed the edge of the blanket, and draped it around her. Then he knelt down and placed his hand over her shoulder blade. "Can I get you anything? Meds or a cold rag or something?"

She shook her head.

"Alright, then." Cooper paused and stared at her. The glow from the light cast unnatural shadows over his lined, angular face. He looked older than she remembered, as if he'd seen things she'd never fully understand. What precisely had those pale eyes seen in the time he was away? And if she'd seen it too, would she also look both so lost and so determined as he? The air felt thick. "So now what?" he asked.

Brand massaged her temples. "CMEs usually last a couple of hours," she replied mechanically. "So, I guess that means you can get comfortable. There's some food back in the unity node, and a shower and toilet in the tranquility node. You might be able to find some of Wolf's stray clothing around here somewhere. There's another sleep pad just over thereif you want to rest. We can trade stories and information later…when my head isn't exploding. Hopefully the sun will be up by then. For now, be sparing with that flashlight. The CME could take it out at any time." She rubbed her eyes.

Cooper remained unusually silent, his stare both soft and interested…and yet uncomfortable and invasive. What was he now seeing in her? She wasn't sure she wanted to know. And she wished he'd look away, but he just kept peering. It was like he wanted to tell her something, but held back. Whatever his reason, the silence rang in her ears. Until finally he said, barely above a whisper, "Yeah, you should get some rest." He leaned back and switched off the flashlight. She heard him rise and turn to leave.

"Cooper, wait…" she said, reaching out and catching his hand. The blackness hung around them like a heavy curtain.

He stopped.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"For what?"

Brand bit her lip. "I almost locked you out."

"But you didn't. And it was my choice to go out there. It wouldn't have been your fault. Plus, I would have done the same." Then he added, "You don't get rid of me that easily, Dr. Brand." He gave her hand a squeeze, then let go. "Now get some rest. I'll see you when you wake." He started to leave.

"Cooper?"

"Hm?"

She hesitated. "Why did you come back?"

"You should rest."

"I need to know, Cooper."

He sighed. "Why _wouldn't_ I come back?"

_There are nearly a million reasons why_, she thought. The endless questions swelled once more. Brand wished to ask him things…to say many things…but didn't think she could. No, she knew she couldn't. Not now, anyway. Not yet. She was dizzy. She was nauseated. She was tired. So instead, she tucked her restless thoughts away and simply resigned to say, "Thank you." She could hear him moving and shifting in the darkness. It was almost as if he was deciding something. She wished she could see his face, but, at the same time, was relieved that she couldn't.

"Sleep with the angels, Amelia," he finally said.

_And rise with the saints_, she thought, even though she didn't really believe in either.

As Brand laid her head against the thin pillow, she kept expecting to hear another howl echo across the desert. But none ever came.

**UPDATE Author's Note:** This story is in no way finished. Many more chapters left...and the best is yet to come! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **It's been one week since my last post! I was a little worried I wouldn't make it, but here you are. Once again, thank you so much for your generous reviews. It sounds like you're enjoying reading it as much as I am writing it. In case you're wondering, I _do_ have a Tumblr account: CuriousWonderment. Some of you have found me there and graced me with wonderful messages. Thank you. For those of you wanting to send me a message-but don't have a ff.n account, Tumblr is another option. As for Chapter 6...I'm already speedily writing it. However, with Christmas coming up, I'm not sure I'll have it up within the week. I'll do my best, but no promises on this one...

**The Howlers  
><strong>**Chapter 5  
><strong>**by: Theed**

She saw him again.

Not even ten yards from the buried orange landing pod,  
>She saw him…<br>Pieces of him…  
>Scattered like falling stars carelessly flung<br>Across some irregular, peculiar galaxy.

A cluster here.  
>A constellation there.<br>Local groups everywhere.  
>Some still luminous.<br>Some still twinkling.  
>Many eclipsed.<br>Many variable.  
>All celestial.<br>All cosmic.

Drawn to the pieces of him…  
>His fading starshine…<br>His perishing incandescence…  
>His decaying radiance…<p>

Long sailing the solar wind  
>Onto some nameless star trail.<p>

But unlike stars,  
>These pieces…<br>These precious pieces…  
>These pieces of him…<p>

Bled.

And stars don't bleed.

They die, of course, after  
>Burning, raving, raging their gentle light…<br>Burning, raving, raging their blinding sight…  
>Burning, raving, raging their blazing flight…<p>

But not bleed.

And these pieces…  
>These pieces of him…<p>

Bled.

Bled like dripping nebulas.  
>Bled like collapsing meteors.<br>Bled like decaying orbits.  
>Bled like the crying zodiac.<p>

All because of  
><em>them<em>.

She saw  
><em>them<br>_too…

Saw their sinister afterglow.  
>Saw their angular distance.<br>Saw their apparent motion,  
>Their apparent magnitude.<p>

And in the atmospheric scintillation,  
>She felt<br>_them_.

Bruised by their atomic weight.  
>Dizzy by their centripetal force.<br>Sick by their free falling gravity.  
>Crushed by their dark matter.<p>

And heard  
><em>them<em>.

Heard their howling…  
>Their howling…<br>Their endless,  
>relentless<br>_howling_…

* * *

><p>Brand jolted upright, her breaths escaping in erratic shudders. <em>It was just a dream<em>, she thought. _Only a dream_. _They can't hurt you… You're inside… You're safe… _She dropped her head into her cold palm and pressed it flat against her clammy skin. There she felt the echoing absence of throbbing pressure; her headache had finally tamed. About damn time. Now if only there were some pill that could eliminate her nightmares just as easily. She licked her lips and pushed loose strands of hair behind her ears. "CASE, what time is it?" she asked absently.

"CASE isn't here."

She tensed at the unexpected voice…and then a rush of memory flooded. "Oh, Cooper. Right." Brand searched for him in the shadows, but the blackness was thick and encompassing. She saw nothing in the void, but she could hear him—hear his calm, deep breaths, so peaceful compared with her own. Based on the sound, Brand guessed he was sitting somewhere just across the room…on one of the other sleeping pads, probably. Even though she couldn't see, just knowing he was there—as if he were guarding her, protecting her—was reassuring… and yet, strangely uncomfortable. She cleared her throat. "How long… How long have you been sitting there?"

"A while," he said. "Enough to know you don't sleep too well here."

Brand's stomach knotted. She ignored the comment and instead craned her neck until it popped. If he was trying to bait her, she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. Besides, he'd have nightmares too if he'd seen… Well, she'd rather not think about it. It was bad enough she dreamt about it. "What time is it?"

"Don't know. Still dark out. But if I were to venture a guess, I don't think it's been more than two hours."

_Only two hours…_ Although she'd adjusted to the planet's long nights, Brand still struggled through each and every one. Morning never did come too soon here. "Well, we have about nine more hours of darkness, then. Since we're close to the equator, nights and days run approximately twenty hours each on this planet, which takes some getting used to. But the CME should be over by morning. We just need to wait it out."

"Do they normally run that long?" Cooper asked.

"No," she admitted, "but better to wait a little longer than risk damaged equipment." She hesitated, then added, "Or howlers."

Brand wondered if the comment would get a rise out of him, but if it did, Cooper gave no indication. Instead of pursuing the topic, he asked, "How're you feeling?"

"Better," she said, pulling the scratchy blanket around her. The desert planet's nighttime temperatures plummeted near freezing, and with all of the bunker's electronics disabled—including the heating—it was getting a little chilly inside. Brand shivered.

"So, these headaches, they happen often, huh?"

"Every now and then, ever since I landed here. I've been trying to tolerate them as much as possible considering the meds are in limited supply, but after a while, they just become unbearable. They're brought on by pressure changes and stress, and both seem to be fairly common lately."

"I can't imagine why," he said dryly, then added, "And I bet dehydration is another factor." She heard shuffling, and then a set of footsteps drew near. Despite the absolutely darkness, Brand could sense Cooper standing directly in front of her, mere inches away. "Hold out your hand," he said.

Brand did, wondering if his solid form would stop her reach…but all she touched was the empty, icy air. Within moments, she felt Cooper's fingers find hers, and he carefully turned and opened them, placing a familiar weighted foil laminate pouch inside her palm. She smiled in recognition, quickly found the attached straw, and took a few sips of water. "Thanks," she said. Normally, she wouldn't allow for such a luxury, but given the circumstances… She took another sip. "Did you get settled in?"

"Mm-hm. Well, showering in the dark was an adventure, especially since the water wasn't heated—and thanks for warning me, by the way. But I made due."

She wished he could see her eyes roll. "Yeah, you definitely have to get creative here. NASA doesn't teach you half of what you really need to know. I suppose that's why they like recruiting adaptive problem-solvers."

"You got that right." Cooper cleared his throat. "Hey, mind if I just sit…?"

Brand shifted along the sleeping pad. "Not at all."

He slid easily next to her until his shoulder bumped hers. It felt good just sitting and talking with someone again. How she had taken such a small luxury for granted... "So tell me about your last few months. What've you been doing all this time?" he asked.

"Oh, just setting up base camp. Preparing my lab. Collecting data. Naïvely sending out hopeful transmissions back to Earth." She took a long sip from the pouch. "Resources are presently in limited supply, so I've been working mostly on sustainability. Can't incubate the fertilized eggs before that's taken care of. It's hard enough raising kids when you have everything you need, let alone when you don't."

Cooper chuckled. "Amen. And when you say 'sustainability', you mean..."

She began recalling her internal list. "Sourcing various necessities, such as food, water, power—"

"And by 'food sourcing' you mean 'farming'," he said.

"And hunting and gathering. Food sourcing is one aspect of sustainability, yes. But there's also—"

Cooper blew a low whistle. "We came all the way out here… to another _planet_… to another _solar system_… to another _galaxy_… all the way across the _universe_… just to farm."

She sucked on the straw. "What did you expect? There aren't exactly grocery stores around here. Besides, the first settlers of any colony are usually farmers."

"Oh, I'm not criticizing. Just appreciating the irony." He paused, letting the comfortable silence linger a bit. The warmth of him just sitting with her felt nice. Then, he tapped her arm. "You know, to be honest, I expected to find you in the cryo-pod waiting things out. I was afraid I'd have to wake you up like we did Dr. Mann."

Brand finished the last of the water and set the empty packet aside. "Wait in the cryo-pod? Why would I do that? I mean, sure, it makes sense in theory, but for me, there wasn't anything or anyone to wait _for_. I let go of such hope back when you detached from _The Endurance. _I'd lost so much out here... Every member of our team…nearly a century of time…and as far as I knew, all the people of Earth… I wasn't planning on any backup or rescue mission, Cooper. No one was coming to save or help me. I didn't have the luxury of playing sleeping beauty."

Brand wasn't sure what she expected Cooper to say, but she didn't expect him to stay so quiet for so long. At first, she thought he was going to placate her—taking the time to calculate a measured, carefully reasoned response, something to both validate and yet correct her thinking, as he so often tended to do. But as the minutes passed, his silence only grew more awkward and uncertain. Brand began squirming, searching for something to fill the void. "Anyway, your turn. What about you?" she quickly asked. "What happened after you fell through Gargantua? Tell me your story."

At first, she thought Cooper must have fallen asleep because what was first an awkward stillness stretched into a burdensome reserve, full of strained suspense. She contemplated nudging him, but considering he might actually be exhausted from interstellar travel, Brand resisted. But then she heard his lips part, and he finally said, "Well, there's not much to tell. I went through and then came back. Now I'm here. End of story."

She narrowed her eyes, despite the fact that Cooper couldn't see them. "I feel like you left out a few details there."

"Well, most of it's pretty unbelievable anyway—"

She shook her head. "You mean more unbelievable than general relativity, disruptions in space-time, and interstellar travel? Come on, Cooper. Humor me."

"No, I suppose not," he conceded. "But it is kind of a _long_ story—"

She nudged him and giggled. "Do you have someplace you need to be? Because I sure as hell don't."

"Brand—"

"Come on, Cooper. Tell me what happened."

His voice became unexpectedly tense, and she could tell he was making an effort not to lose his temper. "Does it really matter? I mean, I'm here, aren't I? The rest ain't important." His words fell on her like soft prickles of ice.

Now Brand's voice began to rise. "Not important? The _hows _and _whys_ of you getting here aren't important?"

"No."

She repositioned herself on the sleeping pad to face him, even though she still saw nothing but the black emptiness. "Cooper, let me explain something to you. I've been living here alone with no one but CASE for company, and he's so laconic that some days, I have better conversations with the coffee maker. Indulge me. I haven't had a real conversation in months…and I'm guessing you haven't either." But the silence continued on. Though Cooper sat beside her, he was truly galaxies away. "Oh, come on. Are you seriously going to—"

"Ever think that maybe I just don't want to talk about it?"

"Weren't you the one who said we should learn to talk?"

"Yeah, and when not to, isn't that right?" he spat.

Brand swallowed hard. "Look, you know what, if you don't want to tell me the whole story, then fine. Don't." She could no longer keep the agitation and annoyance out of her voice. "I'm just trying to understand what could possibly be so motivating for you to come all the way out here…_alone_. I'm guessing that someone on Earth survived in order for you to make it back here. But why they'd send you and not someone else…or a whole team of people…experts to help with colonization…is beyond me. And why you'd even agree to go is something I just can't work out. Sometimes, it's difficult believing you're even here at all. Not if Murph or Tom are still around, which is slim given the time slippage, I realize. But even if they aren't, you must still have family—grandkids or great-grandkids. I can't imagine you'd give them up so easily."

"Who says I did?" he breathed. In that moment, he sounded like a ghost of the man she used to know.

"Cooper, I know you," she said softly. "You might have a bit of a cowboy in you, but family is everything. It's what grounds you, what motivates you. You wouldn't leave your family just for the chance at having one last adventure, not out here, and especially not under such dire and dismal circumstances."

Her words hung in the air like drifting snowflakes, quietly falling into steadily rising mounds, and then he finally said, "Not even for you?"

Brand stopped, and selected her next words with care. "You're being impetuous."

"Am I, Amelia?" he asked.

Cooper had to be joking. He couldn't have possibly come all this way just for her. _Her._ He'd known her barely a year, if she cut out all the time they'd spent in cryo-sleep, not to mention his recent lengthy absence. Or maybe she was just reading into things…a by-product of being too emotional. Even still, Brand wasn't sure what Cooper had meant, and truthfully, she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

Cooper continued, his voice slow, as if reluctant…hesitant. "Look, I came back to be with you. So you wouldn't be alone. Isn't that enough reason?"

She blew a deep breath. "Not for you, Cooper. No. It isn't."


End file.
